Federal Pretzel Baking Company facts for kids
The Federal Pretzel Baking Company was a famous company in Philadelphia that made lots of soft pretzels. It was the first company to make pretzels in a very big way, using machines to produce many at once.
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| Subsidiary J&J Snack Foods Corp (since 2001) | |
| Industry | Commercial bakery |
| Founded | Family Owned (1922–2000) |
| Headquarters | Original location: 690 Federal Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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Key people
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Nacchio Family |
| Products | Pretzels |
| Revenue | N/A USD (2010) |
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Number of employees
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30+ (2000) |
Contents
The History of Federal Pretzels
The story of the Federal Pretzel Baking Company started with the Nacchio family. They had a small bakery and used a special secret recipe to make their soft pretzels. Over time, their small bakery grew into a huge business that made pretzels for many people.
How It All Started: 1922
In 1922, Maria and Giuseppe Nacchio had a small Italian-American bakery in South Philadelphia. Maria made delicious soft pretzels using her own recipe. Her son, Edmund, noticed how popular these pretzels were. He decided to open a factory to bake many more of them.
Edmund combined the skill of workers hand-twisting pretzels with new machines. He used a conveyor system, imported from Germany, to move the pretzels. This system took them through a soaking solution and then into baking ovens. This new way of making pretzels in large amounts became the Federal Pretzel Baking Company.
Pretzel Changes During World War II: 1940
During World War II, there wasn't enough wheat flour. The United States Department of Agriculture asked experts, including the Nacchio family, for help. They worked together to find new ways to bake. One idea was to use corn flour mixed with wheat flour. This helped them keep making bread and pretzels even with less wheat.
New Leaders: 1947
The company was started by four brothers. After Edmund passed away in 1947, his brothers Joseph, Carmine, and Anthony continued to run the business. They kept the company growing and making pretzels.
The World's Biggest Pretzel: 1963
Joseph Nacchio of the Federal Pretzel Baking Company set a record! He baked the largest pretzel ever made. It weighed 40 lb (18 kg) and was five feet wide. This amazing pretzel even appeared in the 1963 Hollywood film It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. Another large pretzel, weighing 20 lb (9.1 kg) and four feet wide, was also made for the movie.
Machine-Made Pretzels: 1978
By 1978, the Federal Pretzel Baking Company started using machines to make soft pretzels even faster. These machines could make seven pretzels every second! They baked 60,000 pretzels each day. The company still used the original 1922 recipe. However, the pretzels were no longer hand-twisted with the special overlapping knot.
New Family Businesses: 1990
In 1990, Anna Nacchio and Norma Nacchio-Conley, who were second-generation daughters of the founders, opened their own pretzel business called PretzCo. It was separate from the Federal Pretzel Baking Company. They had an exhibit to share their family's pretzel story. They also created a new, softer pretzel recipe.
The Pretzel Museum: 1992
A Pretzel Museum was opened in 1992 by Norma Conley and Jean Collins. It showed how special the Federal Pretzel Baking Company's pretzels were in Philadelphia. The museum had three different locations over time. Visitors could take tours led by family members and even try twisting their own pretzels. A champion pretzel twister named Helen Hoff showed how she could make 57 pretzels in just one minute! The museum closed before 1995.
A New Owner: 2000
For four generations, the Nacchio family owned and ran the Federal Pretzel Baking Company. But in 2000, the family sold the company. It was bought by a larger business called J & J Snack Foods Corporation.
